Inauguration Day: Why were there 2 Bibles? What was in that blue box?

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Mother Nature decided against raining on Donald Trump’s parade after all. But what if it had poured?

And why was the new president sworn in with his hand over two Bibles? And just what did his wife present to the first lady who preceded her, Michelle Obama, when the two couples met on the White House steps Friday morning?

We've got answers to these and your other Inaugural Day burning questions here!

1. What would have happened if it poured during the inauguration ceremony?

Weather historically has not been a friend of inaugurations. January in the nation’s capital normally brings frigid temperatures. But only once in recent history has extreme cold forced a ceremony indoors. That happened with Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration in 1985, when the high temperature failed to reach double digits.

Spectators donning ponchos await the inauguration to begin on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol.Alex Wong / Getty Images

Forecasts for Friday had called for some rain, although the timing and amount were never certain. Trump joked the evening before that he welcomed the rain, even an downpour, because then “people will realize it’s my real hair.”

While it did sprinkle at times during the ceremony, prompting some in the audience to pull out ponchos or small umbrellas, the rain stayed away for the most part.

Still, the day's forecast was enough to convince the National Park Service to alter its list of prohibited items to allow for small umbrellas on the Capitol grounds and along the parade route.

2. Why did Trump have more than one Bible during the ceremony?

Earlier this week, then President-elect Trump announced he would use two Bibles to take the oath of office. One was his own, a gift from his mother in 1955 just before he turned 9; the other Bible was the one used by Abraham Lincoln in 1861.

President Donald Trump takes the oath of office as his wife, Melania, holds a set of Bibles.Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

“In his first inaugural address, President Lincoln appealed to the ‘better angels of our nature,’” Presidential Inauguration Committee Chairman Tom Barrack Jr. said in a statement. “As he takes the same oath of office 156 years later, President-elect Trump is humbled to place his hand on Bibles that hold special meaning both to his family and to our country.”

The only other president to use the Lincoln Bible, which officially belongs to the Library of Congress, was Barack Obama, both in 2009 and 2013.

3. What will happen to the Twitter handle that President Obama used while in office?

A. The official @POTUS account belongs to the president in office. That means it now belongs to Trump, even though he continued to Tweet under his personal @realDonaldTrump handle even after he was sworn into office.

Meanwhile, the @POTUS account remained empty for more than two hours after the inauguration, when a photo of Trump was posted along with "#InaugurationDay Speech."

All the previous tweets posted by Obama were transferred to the newly created @POTUS44, which will serve as an archive. The @POTUS account itself has only been active for two years, replacing the more broadly named @whitehouse.

Twitter

New owners also have taken over the Twitter handles @VP, which now belongs to Vice President Mike Pence, and @FLOTUS, which now features a profile picture of Melania Trump.

4. Where did The Obamas take off to once they left the inauguration?

Officially back to being civilians, the former president and first lady boarded a helicopter from the U.S. Capitol to their next destination. The chopper's pilot appeared to give the couple one final turn around the White House before heading to nearby Joint Base Andrews just outside the Washington border in Maryland.

The Trumps walk the Obamas to Marine One at the Capitol Building after the completion of the U.S. presidential inauguration ceremony.JOHN ANGELILLO / POOL / EPA

There, the Obamas addressed well wishers before taking their last trip aboard the presidential aircraft, referred to as Air Force One — but only when the current commander-in-chief is flying.

"First, we're going to take a little break," Michelle Obama said in a video released earlier in the day by the newly created Obama Foundation. "We're finally going to get some sleep and take some time to be with our family, and just be still for a little bit."

5. What was on the menu during for the inauguration lunch?

Trump has raved about his love for McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken, and he always appreciates a good taco bowl, but the menu for the luncheon following his inaugural address was slightly more upscale.

The new president dined with about 200 elected officials and dignitaries for the traditional lunch thrown by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, which plans the swearing-in ceremonies for the president and vice president.

The luncheon, held inside the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall, featured a three-course meal that started with Maine lobster and Gulf shrimp with saffron sauce and peanut crumble. Grilled Seven Hills Angus beef with dark chocolate and juniper juice followed and for dessert, guests were served chocolate soufflé and cherry vanilla ice cream.

6. What was that box Melania Trump handed to Michelle Obama outside the White House on Friday morning?

It was perhaps the most awkward public exchange of the day. When Melania Trump arrived with her husband at the White House on Friday morning to meet with their outgoing counterparts, she came with a surprise gift.

Outgoing first lady Michelle Obama greets her successor, Melania Trump, who arrived at the White House with a surprise gift.JONATHAN ERNST / Reuters

The powder-blue, ribbon-wrapped box, which many assume came from Tiffany & Co., presented logistical problems when the two couples had to immediately pose for official photographs before going inside for coffee and tea.